Goodwill Games: USA Women Escape With Victory Over World All-Stars

EAST MEADOW, NY – With gutty performances from Jenny Thompson and Cristina Teuscher, the U.S. women’s swim team defeated the World All-Stars 65-57 at the 1998 Goodwill Games. In the night’s second event, Germany downed China 80-42.

The U.S. women are now 2-0 and will face the Germans in their last dual meet on Saturday. Team USA’s men take on the World All-Stars tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. followed by Germany versus Russia in the late match.

The Americans led 58-57 going into the final event, the 400m freestyle relay. Thompson, just five minutes earlier, had won the 100m butterfly with a 58.72, the seventh-fastest time in history. Thompson remained in the warmdown pool as her teammates, Richelle Fox and Sylvia Berekneyi, began the relay. As Teuscher started the third leg, Thompson appeared on the bulkhead and moved behind the blocks.

Teuscher, who earlier had won the 400m and 800m freestyle, provided Thompson with a 1.3 second lead–a full body cushion. Thompson, the 1998 World champion in the 100m free, dove in ahead of the All-Stars’ anchor, Martina Moravcova, the silver medalist at the World Championships in the 100m free. Moravcova closed the gap as Thompson tightened up, but it wasn’t enough as the U.S. team won the relay 3:45.00 to 3:45.39 and the dual meet 65-57.